I Don’t Know

“I don’t know.” I find myself saying that more often than not in response to our four-year-old’s abundant questions. “Mama, what does that mean? What does this do? How does that work?” “I don't know,” I say, as I head over to Google to find the answer. And I don't know, I really don't know. I don't have all the answers, I never have, but nothing makes you realize how little you know than having an intelligent child. On one hand, maybe she got a little of that intelligence from me. On the other hand, even if that is true, whatever intelligence I had, seems to have run its course and now I am just trying to play catch up to her. I don't know everything, I kind of don't really know anything.

“For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Col. 1:9-11). This is Paul’s prayer for the Colossians. Paul did not know these Christians in Colossae personally but he loved them and prayed for them. He neither planted this church nor had he visited them but he was concerned with their Christian walk. He knew that they needed a better understanding of Jesus so that they would stay away from the counterfeit mixing of religions.

So, Paul prayed for them, that the Colossians would have knowledge of God’s will, informed by a true spiritual understanding. It is one thing to know what God says, it is another to understand. When we understand God’s will, we truly know what is required of us. It is not just knowledge that we need, it is wisdom and we only get that through the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.” We all start as natural men, carnal men, and natural men do not want the things of God. Natural men cannot understand the things of God, even if they wanted to because they are foolish to him. The Christians in Colossae were still thinking like natural men, even though they were saved.

Many modern-day Christians are saved but not sanctified. They are not set apart for God in the spiritual, instead, they stay consumed with the natural, failing to see or value spiritual things. Lacking spiritual insight, they are unable to receive the things of the Spirit of God. Colossae was like that so, Paul’s prayer was that they would live according to the knowledge of Christ. Not only live but walk in that knowledge.

I don’t know. You don’t know. That which we think we know is really just natural man. If only we would realize that we know nothing without Christ, at least not anything of value. If only, as Christians, we would submit to the will of God and live in the Spirit, walk with the Holy Spirit throughout our lives so that He can inform our thoughts and guide us in everything that we do. The mind of Christ, that is what we need, that is what the Colossians needed so Paul’s prayer for them was to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”

I think I will change the way I pray. I have always prayed for God to do stuff for me, heal, and provide, and there is nothing wrong with that, but maybe I would get something out of changing my perspective. Maybe if I prayed to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,” then even in the midst of my sickness I would understand His will. Maybe I would understand that this life is not about my physical comfort. Maybe God needs me in the hospital or on the sick bed in order that I be a witness of His grace and mercy. Maybe if I prayed to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,” even in my need I would trust Him and go where He told me to go, do what He told me to do and when I got there maybe it would turn out that I had that need for a reason. Maybe that need was in order to lead some lost soul to Christ.

See, we don’t know, but God knows! He is the Almighty, Sovereign, Creator of all and for that reason, we walk by faith, not by sight. Our trials are not always about us, God has a greater plan and He may just want to use our hardships to accomplish His will. Stop praying so much like the natural man and start to pray like Paul, to “be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”